Giant Defy Advanced 1

We’ve been shouting about the value of Giant bikes for a long time now, astonished by the quality of each build, and perplexed by those who refuse to recognize this. With each consecutive model year, we find more reason to stand behind Giant bikes. In 2016, the stock carbon wheels on the TCR Advanced Pro 1 blew us away. This year, Giant’s Defy Advanced 1 has us emailing our rep to confirm retail prices. Surely, there’s a mistake…

An endurance geometry, carbon fiber, Ultegra, thru-axle, disc brake road bike for $2,375? Come on! Should our employees even show up to work anymore, or should we simply have a size run of these bikes on the floor with a credit card scanner bolted to the counter?

And you may be thinking that the carbon frame is poorly made, or somehow less “carbony” than its more expensive brethren, but that’s simply untrue. One of Giant’s secrets is that it owns the factories where its carbon frames are made. This may sound straightforward to you, but it’s by no means the industry norm. Most bike companies, carbon wheel dealers and cycling clothing manufacturers merely rent space in factories throughout the year. In fact, many of the reputable brands in direct competition with Giant have their carbon frames made in Giant’s own factory.

This is one of the reasons for Giant’s success. The company buys a massive amount of carbon fiber, so they get the best prices. In addition, because they own the factory the bikes are made in, there’s zero markup to their production costs. The end result is a quality bike that generally costs less than its nearest competitors.

The 2017 Giant Defy Advanced 1 demonstrates this point perfectly. Check out it’s comparison to a comparably equipped endurance geometry road bike from Specialized. While there are certainly some variations, if you’re in the market for an Ultegra/disc brake road bike, you’ll probably test ride both of these. They both feature tubeless ready wheel sets, house brand bars, stem, seat post and saddle, an Ultegra drivetrain, etc.

Sure, there are some variations. The Specialized features a new front end shock system designed to create a more comfortable ride. It’s got flat mount brakes. We get that. And this is by no means an article calling out the big red S. There’s no denying that they make a great bike, and we always encourage our customers to test ride multiple brands so that they can make an informed decision.

I guess what we’re really trying to say is:

“Hey… Hi. How are you?

Good?

That’s good. We really like this 2017 Defy Advanced 1 from a geometry, parts spec, and fit perspective.

What’s that? You want to test ride? Cool…

Cool, cool, cool.

Let’s put you on the fit stand and dial you in. Did you know that if you buy from us you get 2 free tune ups for as long as you own your bike? Yeah… I know. A high five? Sure, I’d love to give you a high five. Bikes rule!”

Well... Maybe we don't want to say exactly that, but certainly something of that ilk. This new 2017 Defy Advanced 1 is in stock now and ready to discover the back roads of Texas. Swing by any of our seven Texas only locations to check it out.